Everyone has a Routine
by AthenaGA94
Summary: Mariah Dibs has always been able to tell the personality of someone by linking them with a dance style.  But when she meets Takashi Morinozuka her whole dance theory goes down the drain.  How can he not have a routine?  MorixOC
1. Everyone has  Routine

Chapter 1

Everyone has a Routine

I hurried down the halls of Lefleur Academy, not only was I unprepared for 'Les Belles Filles' rehearsal, but I was also late. Normally that wouldn't be surprising considering, nothing I did was ever on time or orderly, but today was a special case. Kimberly had been specific that I had to be at rehearsal today at the time she told me to be there, something about some sort of foreign exchange group coming from Japan, or was it France, or did she say one of the boys was half-Japanese, half-French. It wasn't like I actually listened to the minute details; I just knew I had to be there. Well whatever the case, the fact was I was late and that wouldn't make Kimberly very happy.

To be completely honest, Kimberly didn't really scare me. The thing that scared me was the _people_ she could find to do the job for her. I continued to run down the halls until I finally caught up to Hannah, who surprisingly was just entering the auditorium herself. "Mariah, you sure look out of breath. Why were you running?" Hannah questioned, obviously oblivious to the time. I gestured the watch around my wrist and brought it up so it was inches from the tip of her sharp nose. "Oh that, you thought you were late? Since when have you ever worried about that? Kimberly knew you were going to be late so she set the time an hour earlier so she knew you'd arrive on time." I twitched irritably as Hannah explained, since when did she know anything.

Hannah and I were close friends, but she was the most scatterbrained freshman I knew, not only did she never know what was going on, but she usually thought she knew what was going on until someone told her she didn't. She in my mind, reminded me of modern dance, she was free and did things her own way. I respected her for that. "You...mean to tell me..."I began between heaving pants as I collapsed against the adjacent wall. "That I ran here...only to hear that I'm early?" Hannah nodded with a small apologetic smile, her sandy blonde curls bouncing softly as she did so. I grimaced at my stupidity, of course Kimberly would make sure I made it on time, she didn't find any merits in punishing me for doing something I always did, so she just adapted around it.

"If it makes you feel any better, you aren't all that early in fact you are right when you're supposed to be here," Hannah commented, as she opened the door to the backstage area. We entered together, I was still panting heavily. Kenzie sat alone in a corner of the stage, her brown curls piled high on the top of her head in a messy bun; obviously ready to run the dance scenes I was unprepared to teach her today. She was stretching silently, as her sister Hazel worked on some technical issues on the sound system.

Though they were twins, they were nothing alike. They had the same face, but that's the only thing that was similar. In a way they were like two different dance styles. Kenzie was ballet, majestically graceful and relatively level-headed, with the occasional twist to a routine. While Hazel was hip hop, everything got her angry quickly and she loved to raise a commotion even if there was no reason to. Their dance styles didn't mesh, at all. Ever.

In the audience, the devil's advocate was sitting there front and center, present as always. Kimberly Oswald was emotionless, unless it proved to be in her favor to do otherwise. Like the other girls she too had her own dance routine that I linked with her, Tap dance. Everything about Kimberly was precise. Tap was defined as well; every move you make could be a dire consequence if not done completely perfect. So like Tap dance, it took many years for Kimberly to be so precise. She smirked when her eyes landed on me and I quickly turned away to grimace, the little spawn was evil down to the bone. "Congratulations Mariah, you made it right on time, we should be expecting the exchange students any moment." Kimberly calls from over her laptop screen, her sunglasses are balancing carefully on the tip of her long nose. She had a tight smile spread across her face, like she always did.

"Where's Tanya, Kimmy?" Hannah pipes out, as her crystalline eyes scanned every crevice of the stage in search for the missing President of 'Les Belles Filles'. Kimberly rolled her eyes, but I was the only one to notice this slight falter in her physique. In her routine.

"She has yet again abandoned the club to attend the Student Council meeting. We are on our own until she is finished, any other questions?" Kimberly hissed. I watched Hannah wince away from Kimberly's acidic words and I frowned. It was still a mystery to me how so many different girls, different dance styles, could mix together to form one large routine. I sighed irritably and turned to run through one of the dance routines I still needed to teach the girls. The music began from Hazel's improved sound system and I began to move to the beat, making up several different moves on the fly, like I said I wasn't prepared. Kenzie watched intently from her spot on the ground, she always watched when I danced; it was one of the few things I was actually good at.

'Les Belles Filles' is an all girls acting group at the Academy, it had only the best in it. We had several honorary members as well, who would join us in our shows, but these were the core members. Tanya, our president, had come to me in hopes of gaining me as the dance instructor for the girls. To be completely honest, I didn't want to do it despite my interest with dance at the time. But after much persuading on Kimberly's part, I eventually agreed and now here I am, completely unprepared to instruct. They didn't expect anything more from me.

The backstage door opened, but I simply dismissed it and continued the routine. My moves were swift and graceful when I danced, one of the few times in my life when they actually were. To say the least I wasn't the tiniest dancers. I towered over most of the girls in 'Les Belles Filles', everyone except Kimberly, but when you're the devil's advocate I'm not surprised. And it's not like I was stick thin either, not that I was fat, but dancing does give you a fair amount of muscle. Though much to my dismay, being so fit left me with a really small set of 'goods'.

Finally the music slowly died off and I stood in my ending pose. My eyes were focused on Kimberly who was staring skeptically at me and coughed lightly, her eyes glancing toward the backstage door and then back at me. She looked displeased to say the least. Scattered applause could be heard from behind me and my heart skipped a beat. Several to be completely honest. Hesitantly, I returned to my natural posture and turned to see what Kimberly had been looking at. Seven rather attractive boys were standing in a small cluster at the edge of the stage wings; the applause was coming from them. I inhaled sharply and quickly made my way out of the spotlight, a blush making its way across my cheeks.

"Welcome to Lefleur Academy," Kimberly stated coolly when I was out of the way. She made her way onto the stage. The rhythmic click of her heels only brought the idea of tap dancing back to my mind and I smirked inwardly. "We are extremely thrilled when you accepted our invitation to join us for the Lefleur Charity Ball. It's always a thrill to have the sister school from Japan participate in our activities. As you know 'Les Belles Filles' will be at your service while you are staying in America." She continued, gesturing to the other girls who seemed to be staring in awe at the boys. I rolled my eyes and couldn't help but chuckle softly; I was a lone wolf and didn't have any intentions on getting to know these Japanese boys.

One boy made his way to the front of the group and smiled politely, he had dark hair and glasses that strategically blocked his eyes from being viewed. "And may we say the Host club is honored to be invited here Ms. Oswald if I'm correct. I am Kyoya Ootori, the Vice President of the Host Club," The boy replied, like Kimberly, his words were well rehearsed and the sincerity appeared true, but both Kimberly and I knew better. Like Kimberly, this boy reminded me of a tap dance, they were too much alike for their own good. My eyes began to examine the other Hosts who stood together, engaged in their own personal conversations.

Two boys identical in looks stood together, their hands wrapped firmly around the other's waist as they spoke quietly to each other. A tango was my initial thought, two boys of perfect symmetry working together to accomplish graceful movements of everyday life. I ducked slightly behind the curtains as I continued my examination. A boy, slight in build with crisp brown hair stood at the front of the group. At first glance he appeared miserable; my guess was that in actuality he was miserable. For a moment, I considered several options for this boy, but finally realized there had to be another side to him, like an actor. He had performance dance written all over him.

My eyes then trailed to two blonde boys, the taller stood dramatically beside the brunette boy, his vibrant violet eyes were gazing at the auditorium in complete wonder. He seemed to fidget in excitement and I couldn't help but smile. A major jitterbug that boy was, somewhat like the dance, an ever moving dance which contained fast jerky movements. The other blonde boy was significantly smaller and was perched on the shoulders of a taller boy with dark black hair. The small boy appeared innocent, I was sure there was another side to this boy, again another performance dancer. The final boy tall and dark haired stood still, his eyes focused on Kyoya and Kimberly as they spoke. His face was expressionless and he didn't speak even when the small blonde addressed him.

My mind was blank, nothing came to mind when I looked at this boy. I couldn't pin point his style, his routine, nothing could be figured out. "Mariah," a sharp voice called. My eyes refocused on Kimberly who was standing center stage look slightly irked. "Thank you for rejoining the real world again, will you please stop hiding behind the curtain and come out." Her eyebrows were knit together in grave irritation, so I did as I was told and slowly made my way to the rest of the girls who were still staring intently. "Now Mariah as the only senior here, Takashi's partner for their stay. You will be in charge of helping him around the Academy." Kimberly gestured to the tall dark haired boy, her eyes locked firmly with mine before turning away. Takashi's steely eyes were now on me and once again they were empty.

"Of course," I replied shortly, placing my hands firmly behind my back. Kimberly nodded and continued to pair off the other girls with one of the boys. Kenzie and Hazel were given the twins, it wasn't that much of a surprise on any of our parts. Hannah got the small blonde boy, and she appeared overjoyed to have him. Kimberly took it upon herself to take both Kyoya and the tall blonde boy, whom I learned was Tamaki Suou. As Kimberly continued to speak, Takashi kept his gaze on me. And as I gazed back, my mind was still blank.

The next morning, I stood by my locker and piled books into my bag for the coming day when Takashi made his way up to me. Despite my height, he was at least a head taller as he leaned against a set of lockers. "Good morning." I acknowledged simply. He countered with a single grunt and turned to look at the students passing by. I threw my dance shoes in the bottom of my tote bag and slung it over my shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye, Takashi sighed, the first bit of emotion I had seen him show. At practice, he seemed almost dead as he sat in the audience with a glassy eyed look, even when the small blonde, Hunny as Hannah told me, spoke to him.

My first class of the day was art, a class Hannah had made me take. I hated art, loved dancing, but hated anything else artistic. "Are you ready to go?" I questioned slowly. Takashi turned to look at me for a brief moment than glanced at the students, admitting yet another grunt in reply. Not a straight answer, but I'd take it.

Hannah sat in the art room when I got there, talking animatedly with Hunny who sat beside her. In his arms was a large plush rabbit, bright pink in color. When Hunny saw us walk through the door, he immediately jumped into the arms of Takashi, who suddenly seemed a lot less heavy lidded now that Hunny was there. I took my respectful seat beside Hannah and began to fume silently, she seemed to notice and smiled apologetically.

"Kimberly?" She guessed obliviously. I gave her my best Kimberly impersonation, the stern glare she gave everyone and anyone. Even the teachers. "Then what?" I thrust a thumb toward Takashi, who was now listening intently to Hunny talk about his walk to class with Hannah. "Takashi? What did he do? From what Hunny told me, he's the sweetest guy in the group of boys that came. He's always looking out for Hunny, they're cousins or something." I cocked an eyebrow at Hannah, since when did she know what was going on and I didn't. Oh yeah as of recently. "Though everyone in the group say Takashi is not a man of many words."

"Tell me something I don't know." I countered tartly. "Took all my social skills to get him to grunt as a response." Hannah giggled quietly and gave me a sympathetic pat on the back. Hunny pulled Takashi back toward our table. Hunny's small hand was gripping Takashi's wrist tightly.

"—Hannah has been really nice to me! And I asked her to come over for cake at the hotel this afternoon, you should invite Mariah too!" Hunny continued as he tugged the taller boy along. I knew I had a look of horror on my face when the smile on Hunny's face dropped. "Do you not like cake Mariah?" His large eyes brown eyes began to brim with tears at the thought of someone having a distaste for cake. Hannah nudged me under the table and cast me a severe glance.

"N-no Hunny, I simply wasn't expecting your kind invitation," I answered quickly, instinctively reaching out to ruffle his hair. I had three younger brothers, it was something I always did to cheer them up. Hunny suddenly smiled wide, his eyes brightening as well as he began to chatter about the type of cake that would be there this afternoon. From behind him Takashi caught my eye. I could have sworn a smile crossed his lips, but I dismissed the thought quickly. Hannah and Hunny continued to talk to each other, while Takashi towered over Hunny protectively. I pulled out a sheet of paper and tried to be slightly prepared for tonight's rehearsal with 'Les Belles Filles'. I never said I didn't try to prepare.

Ms. Duff, the art teacher made her way slowly into class while balancing several boxes of acrylic paints in her hand while doing so. "Good morning class, today I'm going to have you—" She stopped and with her free hand adjusted the thick frames on her small freckled nose. "Foreign Exchange students, this early in the school year?" She was looking at us now as she set the boxes in front of a young freshman girl who cowered away from the loud noise.

"Ms. Duff these are the Ouran Foreign Exchange students, you know our sister school in Japan," Hannah explained knowingly. I bet she rehearsed it. Hunny jumped up from his seat and threw his arms around Ms. Duff. "That's Mitskuni, we call him Hunny for short." Hunny began to chat about cake with Ms. Duff who stood their completely dumbstruck. I would be too. Hannah nudged me and gave me yet another severe look, did she expect me to introduce Takashi? Probably. I stood up slightly and threw a hand at Takashi.

"And this is Takashi Morinozuka, he's Hunny's...cousin." I stated jadedly, falling back into my seat with a low thump. Ms. Duff glanced at me then back at Takashi with her beady little eyes.

"I can see why you two were paired together." She stated with a stern glance. "Very well, let's continue on with class, Now today—" I turned to look at Takashi and then back at Hannah who shrugged when I gave her a questioning glance. I was nothing like Takashi, was I? Well yeah I didn't talk a lot, but I talked a hell of a lot more than he did. And I was a dancer, I'm pretty sure he's not a dancer. A pretty safe bet at least. I just couldn't see it, whatever.

At lunch that day, I sat with Kenzie near the back of the cafeteria. Takashi sat farther down the table, away from us, looking tragically lonely while Kenzie's Exchange Student sat on her other side, he too looked tragically lonely. I brought my fork to my lips and bit on it thoughtfully. "Shouldn't you be sitting with Hazel, so your exchange student can sit with his brother?" I questioned quietly. Kenzie glared at me and stabbed her meatloaf mercilessly with her fork. A cold aurora settled over the dark brunette and I winced away. Sometimes she was worse than Kimberly was.

"I won't sit by my sister, just so Kaoru can sit with his dear brother. I don't need to endure torture just so someone I barely know is happy. It's bad enough I live with her." She sneered. Like I said, their dance styles didn't mesh. Kenzie pulled her fork out of her meatloaf and glanced pointedly at me. "Why aren't you letting Takashi sit with Hunny, they seem to be a pretty tight pair." She added with an ill-fitting smile. I glanced back at Takashi who sighed sadly.

"If he wanted to leave he could, but he won't. He's like a puppy. If he's given to a master, he won't leave their side. Even if he wants to." I whispered back. Kenzie glanced at Takashi and shrugged.

"Did you tell him he could go and hang out with Hunny, or did you assume that he would just know?" She questioned smartly. "I may not be too smart, but I know boys like the back of my hand, and if you don't tell them they can do something, they won't do it. I'm sure the same goes with Asian boys too." She continued, waving her fork through the air. Kaoru looked up from his lunch tray and eyed Kenzie with curious curiosity. His attention now directed towards her, though Kenzie didn't notice and pressed on. "And did you ever think he doesn't talk because his English isn't great?"

"Mori-Senpai doesn't talk even when he's in Japan. It's just who he is." Kaoru cut in. Both Kenzie and I turned to look at the fiery red head questioningly. "If you get to know him, he may open a little more, but I'm not guaranteeing anything." Kaoru continued.

"You speak English?" Kenzie questioned bluntly. Kaoru scowled at her, but after a moment it softened, his amber eyes straying across the cafeteria to his brother.

"Quite well actually, I just didn't feel like I needed to speak considering none of you girls seem too thrilled to have an of us boys here." Kaoru replied with a sneer at Kenzie. She rolled her eyes at him and turned back to her torn meatloaf haughtily. "Though I can understand why that scary lady paired you with Mori-Senpai." I snorted at Kaoru's name for Kimberly. Rather fitting. No? "But I can understand why Mori-Senpai would be upset. Hunny and him are really close and are rarely seen apart."

Perhaps that's why Takashi sighed so much this morning? I turned back to where he sat alone, poking disinterestedly at the meatloaf on his plate. A groan escaped my lips as I stood up and stalked over to the dark haired senior. His hazel eyes gazed up from his plate and eyes me blankly. The small empty smile on my lips twitched slightly at the lack of response. "Yeah, you know if you want you can—you know, sit with your cousin." I mumbled irritably. Takashi didn't reply, but simply stood up and walked away toward Hannah and Hunny across the cafeteria. I clenched my teeth and turned swiftly away, adamant on ignoring the itching temptation to follow and demand a response from him.

By the end of the day, I still couldn't get more than a grunt. And my mind remained blank. Everyone had a routine. And still, Takashi made my mind run on a blank reel. It was really starting to piss me off, and I'd only spent a day with him.

~I hope you guys like it~ Review to tell me any ways I could make it better (Constructive critscim) or comment to sya you liked it. Hope you enjoyed it!


	2. Light the Fire

Chapter 2

Lighting the Fire

"So he still hasn't spoken to you?" Hannah asked innocently as she pulled at her blonde pigtail. I wiped some paint on my overalls and sighed. It was Monday, first hour, precisely 6 days after the Ouran High School Host club arrived. And still Takashi hadn't spoken one word. And it's not like I didn't try either. "Mariah do you really think splattering paint all over the canvas is going to get him to talk to you?" She deadpanned after several moments. I glanced at the canvas I had been working on and scowled. Lumpy acrylic paint melded together creating an unappealing brown color.

I threw the brush against tabletop splattering more paint against my already trashed overalls. "What am I doing wrong?" I exclaimed loudly. A group of girls across the room gazed questioningly at me and I groaned.

"Well that newfound temper of yours could be your problem," Hannah replied with a small smirk. "Did you try just being friendly to him?"

"What's that?" I replied sarcastically as I picked up the brush and made my way over to the sink. Hannah shook her head and followed closely behind me.

"That's precisely what I mean Mariah," She scolded. "Why don't you go over and just smile and talk to him." I turned to where Hunny and Takashi sat in the middle of a sea of giddy girls. Hunny colored playfully with some pencils and Takashi simply watched. Jaded. "Just go over there and talk to him." I clenched my teeth and stuffed the paintbrush in my front pocket of the overalls. "Go."

"I'm going, I'm going," I hissed back as I walked toward the slowly growing group of girls. "Move it or lose it." I growled as I pushed through the loudly gushing girls, ignoring their cries of protest. Hunny looked up from his picture and smiled cutely at me.

"Hi Mariah, do you like my picture?" He shoved the piece of paper in my hands and his smile broadened. A giant cake was scribbled on the paper with a small Hunny and Takashi sitting beside it.

"It's very nice Hunny," I replied, a small smile flitting over my lips. I had learned Hunny was very sensitive, and for my own sake I learned to control my grimaces around him. Takashi looked at me blankly and I smiled, a little more strained, at him. "Good morning Takashi." Hunny turned to him and pouted. The taller boy noticed this and his eyes sparked to life.

"Good morning Mariah," He mumbled quietly, barely audible among the cooing girls. And with his words I replied with the best smartass comment I could muster.

"Huh?" Told you. Hunny laughed and jumped at me, his arms locking around my neck as he tackled me with a hug.

"You're so cute when you're confused." Hunny exclaimed cutely. "Come over to the hotel after school today with Hannah!" I smiled softly and nodded, my eyes falling on Hannah who was standing cockily by her canvas, her ever annoying 'I told you so' look coloring her sharp features.

"So he actually spoke to you today?" Kenzie inquired when she peered across the cafeteria at the taller dark haired senior. It was lunch and Kenzie and I were sitting with each other, Kaoru once again sitting at her side.

"It's not that incredible," I mumbled as I poked my salad coolly.

"Which is why you answered dumbfounded, I assume," Kaoru added jadedly as he stared off toward where Hikaru sat.

"Oh why don't you just go and sit with your brother!" I spat irritably.

"Because you react just as much as Milord does when I make fun of him. Besides, Hikaru seems to be having a fun time." Kaoru teased with a small smile. I followed his gaze to where Hazel and Hikaru were sitting, engaged in a heated conversation. Hazel looked like she was enjoying herself, the same could be said for Kaoru's brother.

"Oh who cares about them," Kenzie cut in. Kaoru rolled his eyes and turned back to his tray, ignoring his escort as he normally did at lunch. "Anyway, Mariah, what are you going to do about hanging with them after school today. After all you're lucky you got three words from him." I sighed and pushed my tray away from me.

"I have to go, I told Hunny I—"

"Mariah, I sure hope you will be prepared for tonight's rehearsal." I glanced blankly away from Kenzie and up at Kimberly who smiled down at me. Her red lipstick seemed to glow in the afternoon sunlight. Over her right shoulder, her Exchange student, Kyoya, wrote silently in a black notebook. In the sunlight his eyes were hidden behind the glint. Even so, I felt his eyes on me. Practice? I had completely forgotten, but I wasn't going to admit it to her.

"Totally prepared, you'll love this new routine I came up with," I replied nonchalantly. Kimberly clucked her tongue, a knowing smirk crossing her lips.

"For your sake I hope it's so," She answered before turning away slowly. When she was out of sight Kenzie turned to look at me.

"You have no idea what dance you're going to teach me, do you?" She deadpanned.

"Of course not, but don't worry I have a study hall last hour. I'll get something thrown together then." I stated confidently. "You know me." Kenzie rolled her eyes and turned back to where Kimberly had disappeared.

"And so does Kimberly, you know she didn't buy that excuse right?" Kenzie continued.

"Yeah I know, but I'll show her that I can have a spectacular dance ready for her." I commented as I stood. "I should probably get to class. See you at rehearsal."

"You can sit there," I ordered halfheartedly as I threw my duffle bag into one of the empty auditorium seats. Takashi obliged, taking a seat near the front row, silent. "Now I need to come up with a piece in less then an hour that's spectacular." I continued, partially to myself, partially still to Takashi. I took a seat at the edge of the stage and cradled my head in the palm of my hands. "How the hell am I going to do that?"

"Stop moping." My gaze shifted to where Takashi sat, bored looking, but now his eyes were on me. "You would get more done if you stopped feeling sorry for yourself—"

"What the hell is that supposed to—"

"Am I wrong?" A silence fell between Takashi and I. He stared at me and I stared back, appalled. "Am I?"

"Well I suppose not," I muttered as I stood up from the edge of the stage. I couldn't really yell at him, through my moping session I was still, kind of, talking to him. But still, he hadn't spoken to me in a week, and now all of a sudden he's answering my questions. I threw one last glance back at Takashi, who now watched me intently from the audience. "Well here goes nothing." The music started playing from the radio at the foot of the stage. At first I stood there dumbstruck. This was the hardest piece we were performing.

Then I caught Takashi's gaze, he was still looking straight at me. It wasn't so bored anymore, was that almost anticipation. That was enough to get me going. Kimberly was going to wish she never doubted me.

"You came up with an entire dance and half of another dance in the one study hall period?" Kenzie hissed as she stretched in front of me. I smirked proudly and threw my duffle bag behind the first arm of the stage. "You can't even come up with one when I'm helping you. What lit the fire under your ass?" Takashi sat with Hunny in the audience as I peered over my shoulder. Didn't surprise me. But the small almost warm smile that Takashi gave me did. Damn it, why couldn't I figure him out?


	3. Cafe Chit Chat

**Chapter 3, not a bad time considering I pulled this one out of thin air. Hopefully you guys like it. I'll try to work on chapter 4. But I gots a job and school to worry about.**

* * *

Chapter 3

Cafe Chit Chat

"Are we going to be in the auditorium again this afternoon," Takashi asked bluntly. It was almost a tease, and almost sarcasm, but it was hard to tell in his monotonous voice. But of course it was a cut. We'd spent the last month in the auditorium, coming up with routines for the upcoming show. Well, Takashi watched as I tripped over myself. The idea didn't really appeal to me this afternoon as a choice. Instead, I was going to do something a little crazy.

"Actually no, I'm skipping practice today." I replied. I was almost certain that Kimberly would have my head for this, but I needed to know more about Takashi—even if it meant doing something I normally wouldn't. I _needed _to know his routine. "Let's go to the café in town instead. Since we're stuck together for a couple of months, we might as well get to know each other." Takashi grunted in response as he peered over his shoulder uncertainly. "Hunny is hanging out with Hannah tonight at her house. He'll be fine."

"If you say so." He muttered as he followed me out of the school. It hadn't been very difficult to convince Hannah to take Hunny and entertain him for the evening. Especially when I told her I wanted to 'make an effort' to hang out with Takashi. Not necessarily the case, but I'd let her believe that if I could get him alone for the evening. Who knows, maybe I'd learn a thing or two that got me closer to finding out his routine.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to talk with me? If you don't, it's gonna be a really awkward couple of months." I informed coolly as we made our way out of the Academy and into the crisp autumn air. Takashi stopped at the bottom of the stairs and smiled amusedly down at me. His onyx eyes locked on my stormy hazel ones as he placed a hand on my head. Even with me at 5' 9" he was still was taller.

"You act as if you've desperately been trying to get me to speak? Did you ever think of just asking to talk to me or starting a genuine conversation?" He asked through a low grunt. I shifted my messenger bag clumsily on my shoulder and shuffled the ground with my worn grey converse. "You complain about me not talking, but you didn't even try." My ears tinted red as I blushed. He heard me? "You don't exactly speak quietly." He added, as if he could read my mind.

"Oh," I mumbled as I turned to continue walking down the sidewalk. Takashi easily caught up with me and we continued our walk in silence. The sharp wind nipped at my face and I shivered, but Takashi didn't seem to notice it, then again he didn't notice much of anything. And if he did he wasn't letting on. "So—" I began slowly after several moments of agonizing silence. For a lone wolf, I sure hated silence? Must be "Les Belles Filles" rubbing off on me. Great.

"Is this an effort to talk to me?" Takashi asked blankly. Was that almost sarcasm? He sure seemed to be full of it.

"Yes, would you like to take part in the effort?" I shot back sharply. A small gravelly chuckle escaped the taller boy. "What's so damn funny?"

"You overreact when you're upset. It's a lot like some of the boys in the Host club." Takashi stated with a shrug. "It's odd how some of the pairs are so alike."

"You mean like Kimberly and that Kyoya kid." I shuddered at the thought.

"Kyoya isn't as bad as you think he is. He just is greedy." Takashi replied simply. "But I suppose you're right. They are very similar."

"Like two clashing tap dances." I muttered under my breath. Takashi glanced down at me curiously, his eyes were heavily lidded and he looked jaded. "What now?"

"You like dancing don't you? You never seem to stop making connections between it and real life." Takashi observed as he tightened his grip on his backpack. "It's an almost unnatural obsession." I huffed and crossed my arms tightly over my chest. "It's just an observation."

"Well dance is all that I know, my father is a choreographer, and my mother—" I stopped midsentence and gave Takashi a side glance. He wasn't looking at me anymore; he was just staring straight ahead. But he was listening. "Well—anyway dance is all I know." I finished hurriedly. The café came into view and I breathed a sigh of relief. "Looks like we're here, we should probably get in before we freeze to death." I chirped, a lot more forceful than I intended. I grabbed the door and yanked it open allowing Takashi to enter. Now he was looking at me, almost curiously. I was getting better at reading those blank eyes. But damn it, why couldn't I read anything else about him?

So far, this wasn't going like I had planned. Sure we were talking, but it was all about me. Not him. This wasn't working. We ordered our drinks at the front counter. A pumpkin latte for me and some weird chai tea for him. "So if we're done making fun of my dancing analogies, what do you do for fun?" I started hesitantly as we both took a seat on the overstuffed sofa. Takashi sipped his tea blankly. I wasn't sure the question registered? "I said—"

"Kendo."

"Pardon?" I asked, surprised.

"I'm in the Kendo Club back in Japan." Takashi repeated monotonously. "I like Kendo."

"And what exactly is Kendo?" I asked slowly as I took a hesitantly sip out of my latte. The sweet pumpkin flavor melted in my mouth and I almost smiled. I love autumn. Takashi set down his tea and stretched his arms over his head lazily.

"Well, it's a sport where—" And that's how we spent the evening. Takashi talked about Kendo Club. He explained the basics. He even told me about a couple of Championships he placed in. It was odd. He was as passionate about Kendo, as I was about dancing. He even demonstrated a couple of moves when we were walking back to the Academy.

"Well, I guess you should get back to the Hotel, Hunny's probably waiting for you." I replied awkwardly as I took a step away from him and turned to leave.

"Mariah." I turned back to look at Takashi curiously. "Goodnight." He replied with a small smile. I nodded and waved halfheartedly. When I rounded the corner of the Academy I shook my head. Was I any closer to figuring out the routine? No. But I now knew enough about Kendo to pass a test on it. Successful evening? Not really. But at least we were talking now.


	4. Tense

**Chapter 4 up...Thank you Thanksgiving Break :) This one's a little longer than the last one.**

* * *

Chapter 4

"So?" Hannah began expectantly, early the next morning. She closed her locker lightly and turned to face me. This morning, her hair was hidden beneath a minty green knit cap which warmed her chocolate eyes. I closed my locker, gracelessly, as usual.

"What?" I asked slowly. Hannah sighed and crossed her arms tightly. "Oh don't give me that disapproving stare. I'm three years older than you." I spat halfheartedly.

"Well aren't you going to tell me what happened last night? I texted you like three times last night. Why didn't you respond to any of them?" Hannah insisted.

"Then you must not have much of a life if you spent the entire night worrying about mine." I teased as we made our way down the hall toward Ms. Duff's art class. In all truth, I had gotten her texts, but I was still with Takashi at the time. And surprisingly enough he didn't give me much of a chance to do anything else. I kind of liked listening to him. "It wasn't anything special anyway; don't you have your own student to worry about?"

"Well, it's not everyday you take your first steps into the social world Mariah. What made you want to get to know him better?" Hannah asked curiously as we turned into the classroom. Takashi and Hunny were seated at their usual table. Hunny was hunched over a coloring page, while Takashi looked blank and unresponsive. As usual. I stopped in the doorway and bit my lip. I couldn't really tell Hannah that I was just getting to know Takashi so I could link him with a dance. Something told me normal people don't really do that?

"Well you know—it would be awkward if we didn't get to know each other." I stated nonchalantly. It wasn't a complete lie. It was awkward this last month. Though it's not it was any less awkward as we took our seats beside the boys.

"Good morning Hunny!" Hannah beamed as she straightened her hat. The little blonde smiled up at her with a wide sugary grin. "Good morning Takashi." Hannah added as she peered at the dark haired boy. Takashi nodded slightly in her direction, but aside from that—nothing. Hannah elbowed me under the table and I grunted.

"Good morning Takashi." I grunted through the pain.

"Good morning Mariah." Takashi replied. Hannah smiled excitedly beside me as she stood to get her supplies for class. Oh yeah that wasn't embarrassing.

"So—are you opposed to spending seventh hour in the auditorium again this afternoon?" I asked curiously. If I came to rehearsal tonight with a dance finished maybe Kimberly wouldn't have such a bird about me skipping last night. Takashi probably was reading my mind because he cracked a slight smile.

"Only if you promise to actually work." He replied. Was that a tease? Where was all this sarcasm coming from? I didn't think he would be the type to— "Even I can joke around sometimes." My ears flushed red and I turned my attention to the paint spattered tabletop.

"It's true. Mori is really funny." Hunny piped in. I had almost forgotten he was there for a second. The blonde smiled up at Takashi. I didn't really see Takashi as the funny guy. Must be a cousin thing.

"Alright, alright I promise to work." I replied with a small halfhearted smile. Takashi smiled back. Maybe we were getting somewhere after all.

* * *

Side step, side step, shuffle, step back, and twirl—or trip and fall that's good too. I groaned softly as I sat up on the empty stage, having fallen yet again. What the hell was up with me? I never fell when I was dancing. Normally I was graceful—one of the few times I could be. "You look too tense when you're going for the twirl." Takashi was leaning casually against the foot of the stage, his onyx eyes watching me carefully. "You should relax."

"Oh and now we're an expert in dancing?" I asked bitterly. I wiped some dirt off my dark pants and stood up again, curling my arms to begin the twirl.

"You're still too tense." I ignored Takashi this time and went in for the twirl. My knees locked and I went tumbling once more. "I told you." By this point, Takashi had sauntered to the stage. "In Kendo, if you're tense, then you loose balance. It's probably the same with dancing." He continued as he scooped me off the ground and into a standing position. "Get into position." He ordered monotonously.

"What the hell do you think your—"

"Do it." He cut in. It wasn't really demanding, but for some reason I found myself in the ready position. Takashi hesitantly placed his hands on my shoulders and squeezed softly. They lowered instinctively, but in turn my heart race quickened. "You're tensing up again. Just breathe and let your body speak for you." Takashi muttered as he squeezed my shoulders lightly. I nodded hesitantly and inhaled. My core relaxed and I shrugged his hands away. I could feel my ears burning, but I ignored it. I let my body move, I didn't think about falling. I let my mind clear.

I was alone, no one was watching me. No one was judging me. It was just me and my movements. I kicked my leg back for the swing and twirled. It would have been perfect, but as I was snapping my head back around to keep balance, my eyes locked with Takashi's. His eyes smiled warmly at me and I stopped, my ankles twisted and I crumpled to the floor awkwardly.

"You tensed up at the end." Takashi stated bluntly. I scoffed and stood up quickly, trying desperately to hide the embarrassed blush that had overtaken my face. "But it looked really good."

"Thanks," I mumbled as I bent down to tighten the shoelace on my jazz shoe. Hopefully he wouldn't notice how red my face was. "Maybe that's enough planning for today. I'm obviously not in my zone." I continued as I walked over to my duffle bag on the edge of the stage, still avoiding the taller boy's gaze.

What had I been doing? Normally someone else watching me dance wouldn't bother me. But Takashi, well, he made me trip over myself. He almost made me nervous. It's not like I cared what he thought of me. I just wanted to figure out his dance. Then he would go back to Japan at the end of the year and I wouldn't have to worry about him or his opinions again.

I straightened and looked back at Takashi with a lame smile. "Why don't we go to the courtyard and wait for rehearsal. It's too warm in here." I offered cheerfully.

* * *

"So what made you want to be a dancer?" Takashi asked slowly as we walked through the courtyard. Crisp autumn leaves danced around our feet in staccato steps, all of them seemed to be doing their dance. But they still seemed to be in perfect harmony.

"Like I said, my dad was a choreographer. I spent most of my time with him growing up and he just rubbed off on me I guess." I replied softly as I stepped over a pair of leaves that were twirling together on the ground. "What made you want to practice Kendo?"

"Well, it's something I can call my own. Hunny is good at karate and I took up Kendo shortly after he started karate. It's been with me my entire life I guess." Takashi replied. "I feel stronger with it."

"Well I can imagine, fighting with a long ass sword would make you—"

"No I mean I'm stronger in other ways. Kendo teaches balance, self control, strategy, even manners. All the things I'll need to use one day in the real world. When I get a job, even when I have a family." Takashi cut in. I looked at him thoughtfully. That was an interesting way of looking at it. "It's not just some sport. I enjoy doing it, yes, but it also makes me a better person I believe."

"That's a really good way of looking at it. I wish I could say the same for dancing. It's just my passion, that's all." I mumbled. "I'm just the crazy loner who applies everything she knows to some kind of dance." The leaves at my feet skittered out of my path. A quick step.

"You're not crazy." Takashi replied curtly. I stopped and turned to look at Takashi, surprised. "You just use what you know, if I was that good at dancing I probably would live and breathe it too."

"Well it is all that I know." I muttered under my breath. A silence fell between us. It should have been awkward, but for some reason it wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be. A hand rested on my shoulder and I cringed. Takashi was looking down at me with dark eyes. I shrugged his hand off and turned away from him.

"I think school's done now. We should probably get back to the auditorium before the others get there." I exclaimed hurriedly. I didn't give him a chance to reply as I nearly ran back to the Academy. I learned one thing that day; he definitely wasn't any dance I knew of. But that didn't mean I was going to stop. I'd just have to up my research. Takashi Morinozuka had a dance. I just needed to find it.

**Do you think I'm moving too fast. That's my trouble in writing. Well I hope you all liked this chapter. I'll work on Chapter 5 and try to get it up as soon as possible R&R**


	5. Harmony

**This chapter was a pain in my arse. It was more of a bridger piece and a start to some of the more fluffier stuff (I'm a chick and I like fluff, I can't help it) but I hope you like it.**

* * *

Chapter 5

"Improbable, there's no way I can do this." I muttered under my breath. Kenzie rolled her eyes thoughtfully as she took a seat on the edge of the stage with me. Her dark brown ringlets fell around her freckled face as she smiled encouragingly. Even in the dim light of the auditorium, I could see all the other members gazing expectantly at me. Why did this always happen.

"Mariah, you're obviously the best dancer in the group." Kenzie reasoned. "It's not everyday you get asked to play one of the leads in the school musical. I can't do nearly as well as you can in the role."

"I can't sing," I deadpanned. "And I only joined the club to teach dance, not to perform." Kimberly stepped forward, Kyoya peering expectantly over her shoulder. With the lights of the stage playing on her face, she looked pretty sinister, but I was so upset I almost forgot to shiver. "You can't make me perform Kimberly." I insisted stubbornly.

"Normally, I wouldn't want you to have a lead role, or a role at all. You're too unorganized for the responsibility, but the role is very demanding when it comes to dance. And no matter how much I hate to admit it—you are the best we have." Kimberly answered with a light scowl. "Chicago is the biggest production Lefleur Academy has put on in over five years. I want it to be the best it can be."

"But singing—" I replied sharply.

"Won't be much of a problem. You've heard of _Singing in the Rain_, haven't you?" Kimberly continued calmly. I nodded slightly and Kimberly continued after a beat. "Why do you think I didn't cast Kenzie? She will be your voice, well at least the singing voice—I do hope you can at least pull your own weight when it comes to acting."

"I won't make any promises." I mumbled irritably. Kimberly glared at me severely from over the rims of her dark sunglasses. Why she insisted on wearing them inside was beyond me. "But I'll do it if you guys stop nagging at me about it."

"That's a fair enough request." Kimberly replied coolly. The others nodded as well and my heart sank a little. I was hoping someone would oppose. "But you can look on the bright side. You don't have to teach your dances to others. Just remember to learn them yourself; I don't want any making up as you go for the performances." She added with a fake smile. I grimaced and let my eyes fall to the ground. "Well now that that's settled we can continue on with rehearsal."

* * *

"I don't want to perform"

"Why not?" Takashi asked wistfully as we walked out of the Academy later that night. A light blanket of snow was covering the sidewalk as we made our way towards the café in town. I shivered against the icy chill of winter and tightened the tattered green scarf around my neck. "They're right. You are the best dancer in the group."

"But I'm not a performer. I'm an instructor." I countered bitterly. Takashi stuffed his hands into the pockets of his dark jacket, his aloofness smothered me. "Don't you understand that people like me don't perform?"

"No, I don't understand. But it's because I don't think you understand either. You perform every time you dance. Every time you get on that stage, I see that you love performing. This is just a different type." Takashi insisted. I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and stared up at him. His eyes were blank as they looked down at me, just like the first time we met. "You don't give yourself enough credit. You lack confidence. You are extremely talented; everyone in the club sees that, even Kimberly. But it's you who needs to see it for it to be worth anything."

I choked on a laugh. "That almost convinced me. Since when have you gotten so philosophical and persuasive?" I stifled quietly. Takashi smiled crookedly and shrugged.

"Well I want to be a lawyer one day. If I can convince you to do this, I guess I can say I'm doing pretty well." Takashi replied softly as we both turned to continue walking. "You are pretty stubborn, so I feel pretty accomplished." He teased with a small grin.

"You know I can never figure you out. Every time I get close, you surprise me." I admitted as I played with the corner of my leather jacket.

"I'm not that difficult to figure out Mariah." Takashi replied with a smirk. "But have you figured out what dance I am yet?" I stopped midstride and my heart jumped to the middle of my throat. I choked back a gasp and turned to look at him.

"How did you—" I stammered through my awe.

"I've known for awhile Mariah. You apply everything to dance. It wouldn't surprise me if you applied people too. That's why you wanted to get to know me better wasn't it?" Takashi informed coolly. "I'm not mad, but I am curious. So what dance am I?"

My mouth opened and closed, but no words came out for several long moments. Snowflakes had begun to flit from the sky, twirling to their own tempos. I still hadn't figured it out. In fact, in the last two months I had almost forgotten about trying to figure it out. That was all I wanted. To figure out his dance and move on. That's it, wasn't it?

"I haven't figured that out yet. Like I said, I don't understand you. You surprise me." I admitted. My cheeks burned, even in the chilly night air. "I can normally figure someone out quickly. I'm observant like that. But you—you're not just a 'someone'." I added after a moment.

"Well I hope you'll figure it out eventually, I really want to know what I am to you—" Takashi stopped mid-thought, and I could have sworn his cheeks turned a little more pink. "I mean what dance I am."

"When I figure out, I'll let you know."

"Good, I look forward to finding out." Takashi replied. A comfortable silence fell between us as we continued our rhythmic steps down the sidewalk together. For some reason, I felt out of tempo though. My heart was racing and my stomach decided that doing flips would be the best use of its time. Takashi could read my mind. Damn his mind reading abilities. "I hope I didn't make things awkward." Damn he did it again.

"No of course not. Why would you have made things awkward?" I croaked as we pulled up to the front of the café. I went to pull the door open, but Takashi cut me off. He eyed me sternly. I felt like I was shrinking under his gaze.

"It's awkward because something tells me no one ever figured you out quite like I have. You probably haven't even told Hannah that compare people to dances?" Takashi stated sharply. The snows seemed to freeze in their dance as I stared up at the taller boy. I had never seen him look this serious before. He was always so calm, but now—well his eyes could easily have burned holes through me by this point. "Am I wrong?"

"N-no you aren't wrong. I've never told anyone that I link them to a dance. If I did maybe they would see that trying to mix so many different styles of dance together in our club won't work," I replied quickly. I tried to reach for the door again, but Takashi took me gently by the wrist.

"But isn't a routine just that—a mix of different dances that all seem to work together in harmony." He reasoned softly. "I think you're wrong about 'Les Belles Filles'. I think it's perfect the way it is. It has the best of everything. In a way it's kind of like the Host Club." He continued after a moment.

"Yes, but routines are carefully organized so that they work together in harmony, they aren't sporadic." I countered.

"Well, I know you watch the weather. Look at the snowflakes, they seem to work together in harmony, is that choreographed?" Takashi asked. My eyes watched the snowflakes carefully. They had resumed their dance and were twirling gracefully to the ground. None of them had the same tempo, but it was still beautiful. "You see? I think you are a bright young woman Mariah, but sometimes you need to stop being so angry all the time. You'd maybe get the triple spin right if you just relaxed."

"Are you saying that you want me to relax or not be angry?"

"Isn't that the same thing Mariah? I think things would be a lot easier for you if you would start relaxing." Takashi responded calmly. It was at that moment I realized his hand was still lightly wrapped around my wrist and I shrugged it off.

"Well—" I choked, trying to keep the blush down. "If I'm going to relax, then let's start with some coffee at the café then?" I continued with a weak smile. Takashi smiled also as he stuffed his hands back into his pockets.

"I think that would be a fine start." He replied with a small chuckle.

* * *

**If anyone can guess what role Mariah is playing I will be a very happy person :) R&R**


	6. Sleepless

**Sorry it's been awhile. Lots of School does that to you, and a lack of inspiration I suppose -_- But here is for you all. I appreciate all the positive feedback I've been getting :)**

* * *

Chapter 6

"I don't think you have anything to worry about Mariah. Velma will be a fun role for you. It has lots of dancing after all?" Kenzie chirped knowingly. I glanced up from my latte hazily. The look on my face must have relayed my confusion because Kenzie continued quickly. "That must be why you're so distracted?" She added in her same 'I obviously know it all' tone. I blinked blankly in response. I wish that had been the reason. "You've been like this ever since we discussed the roles two weeks ago."

"O-Oh yeah, I've been up the wall trying to think of dances for the songs. Real stressful." I lied with a tight shrug. The show was honestly, the last thing on my mind. Although, I kind of wished that the show had been the reason for my stress. But unfortunately my problem was exactly, a thing, it was more of a piece of organic life form, a tall one who liked stupid chai teas. He was my problem.

_The snow had stopped by the time Takashi and I had left the Coffee Shop, two weeks ago. Now there was only a light layer of snow covering the sidewalk as we made our way back to the Academy. The evening had been relatively enjoyable for me actually, Takashi and I had actually joked most of the time, though I knew my luck was gonna run short. "Mariah, can I ask why you don't like performing?" Takashi asked curiously as he nestled a little farther into his dark green pea coat. Did he have to special order his coats because he was so big—?_

_"It's because I just don't perform. It really is that simple." I replied distantly as I shuffled my feet carefully over the ground. It was a bit slick out now that the air had chilled._

_"That's not a real reason." Takashi argued._

_"Sure it is. It's a perfectly valid point." I argued back with a weak smile. I assumed if I tried to act confident he'd drop it._

_"No it isn't." Or he wouldn't drop it and press on. "It can't be that simple. It's like how people don't just kill because they like killing people—"_

_"Now that isn't entirely—"_

_"As I was going to say, there has to be some leading factor. It is normally something that happened in the past. Did you ever have—" Takashi cut me off insistently, but I wasn't going to be beat._

_"What is this, 'Pick apart Mariah's deep most inner thoughts time'? I don't think there's enough coffee in the world you can bribe me with spilling my deepest secrets." I argued halfheartedly as I took a sip of my latte._

_"There's that defensive anger again, why are you always so protective of everything." Takashi breathed with a low sigh. The air seemed to chill around us and I shuddered. "You're a mystery to me, like I'm a mystery to you. But what I find most sad about that is, though we don't know each other very well, I think I know more about you than your closest friends do, and I still know nothing about you Mariah." He observed softly. The tone in his voice reflected some kind of emotion, was it sadness, or it could have been disappointment too._

_"My friends know things about me." I mumbled, but even through the mumble the shame was pretty evident. As much as I hated to admit it, Takashi had a point. Yes I had friends, but I was more of a listener than someone who shared my life story with people. Hannah really only knew the basics, like that my favorite color was yellow or that I loved pumpkin flavoring, but even Kimberly knew that much about me. Takashi knew a lot more than they did._

_"Why don't you perform Mariah?" Takashi asked gently. He placed a hand on my shoulder, but pulled away apologetically when he saw me shiver at his touch. "Sorry. But you can tell me, you can trust me." I frowned up at him. A part of me really wanted to tell him. Why did I want to tell him? "You can." He insisted again._

_A silence fell between us as I contemplated my choices. I could easily tell him. I just had to form it into words. I hadn't really ever told anyone why I was so against performing. It just wasn't something that I felt needed to be brought up to everyone. "Well, it was me—" I stopped mid-thought and glanced back at Takashi. He was listening, his eyes watching me closely. "I don't particularly like performing because my mo—" _

_I didn't even realize I had slipped on a hidden patch of ice until I felt a pair of arms wrap tightly around my waist. I spun my head and found myself uncomfortably close to Takashi's face. The breath hitched in the back of my throat as I tried to pull away. "Are you okay?" He exclaimed quickly as his grip tightened around my waist. I suppose Kendo made his reflexes insanely fast. He helped me plant my feet on the ground, his face still finding its way uncomfortably close to mine. The heat rose in my cheeks as I pulled away from him. "Um—you should really watch out for that ice." I nodded stiffly and pulled my scarf over my face to hide the blush. "So—are you okay Mariah?"_

_"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." I stumbled._

_The rest of the walk back to the Academy was probably the most awkward moment I've ever experienced. Takashi and I didn't speak, he didn't even grunt when we went our separate ways. That is when he became my problem._

"Mariah. Mariah!" I straightened and turned my gaze back to Kenzie. "Were you even listening to me?" The look on my face must have been answer enough. She just rolled her eyes and repeated. One of the many things I loved about Kenzie. She never got angry at other people's faults, she simply worked around them. "I said that Kaoru had mentioned to me that Mori has been acting strange too. He assumed that because you two have been hanging out so much that you would know why."

"Oh—I haven't noticed." I lied. I had been lying a lot lately. But I had noticed, I had been noticing Takashi a lot more recently. He had gotten clumsier. He was always tripping over himself and he no longer had his observant demeanor. He always looked distracted now. It was a completely different side of him. But I didn't know why he was acting like this. We hadn't talked in two weeks.

By this point I wasn't listening to Kenzie anymore. I would just be listening to something I already knew. Right now, I was panicking. This wasn't me. I would never be so willing to share myself with someone. Sure Takashi had been a good 'Coffee buddy' but other than that I didn't see—

"Good morning Mariah." Takashi smiled wistfully as he cut me off in the hallway abruptly. He would have almost looked fresh if not for the dark purple bags under his eyes. Had he gotten any sleep in the last week? "I have a question for you, if you don't mind." He continued briskly.

"A-Alright." I began cautiously. Takashi had leaned in extremely close by this point. It was starting to bring back memories of that night.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me?"


	7. We aren't exactly friends

**I suppose I should Merry Happy after the Holidays, hope anything and everything you celebrated was enjoyable. I'm not particularly fond of this chapter because it took me awhile to come up with ways to keep it flowing. I think I'm running short on ideas, if anyone would be willing to pitch an idea you can leave it in the reviews or message me, I would very much appreciate any help :) I'm also very glad to see many people are enjoying this story.**

* * *

Chapter 7

The lockers were spinning, or my head was spinning, either way I wasn't thinking straight. Had Takashi just ask me out? Really? Of all the things he could talk to me about, he chose this? Kenzie stood at my side, for once in her life, speechless. "C-can you repeat that for me?" I mumbled as I massaged my temples.

"I was asking if you would like to go on a date with me."

"You mean like a coffee date, right?" I replied slowly. My mind was still buzzing with the initial shock. I was really hoping that he had lost the question in translation from Japanese to English and he meant just hanging out.

"Well, I was thinking dinner or a movie, but we could go to the café after." Takashi replied with a slow shrug. I guess he really did mean a date. "So what do you—?"

"No." The refreshing smile dropped from Takashi's face as he locked eyes with me. My jaw clenched and I glared up at him. How could he embarrass me like this? Of all people, I thought he'd at least have the decency to know better. "I'm sorry Takashi, but I don't date." And with that, I turned on my heel and made my way back down the hall irritably, but I couldn't control the fierce blush that had overtaken my face. I just hoped it was reflecting my anger.

"Mariah?" I glanced up from the edge of the stage warily, and my eyes met with Hunny's bright brown eyes. I had fled to the auditorium, the only place I knew would be deserted and I could be left alone. One didn't have to be a genius to know I had come here, so it didn't surprise me that Hunny had found me so quickly. In his arms, he cradled his plush pink rabbit, normally it would be cute, but his face told me now was not the time for joking. He walked up to the edge of the stage, the top of his head only reaching my knees as I sat above him.

"Yes Hunny?" I mumbled as he stared up at me gravely. I felt like I was going to receive a lecture from him, boy that would just make my mood swell. But what came out of the little blonde's mouth almost made me fall off the edge of the stage.

"Takashi gets flirty when he's tired."

"Pardon?" I choke in response. Definitely wasn't what I was expecting. Hunny's lips curved upward in an amused smile and he pulled his rabbit closer to his chest.

"Takashi has no self control when he's tired. He becomes a bit of a flirt when he hasn't had enough sleep. He couldn't control himself." Hunny explained slowly. "He didn't mean to embarrass you, but you kind of hurt him Mariah. I think Takashi likes you more than he lets on." As the little blonde continued to speak, my face became more and more red. Could Takashi really like me?

"Did Takashi have you come say this?" Hunny shook his head slowly and I sighed. "So this is true then?"

"I don't know. I've only seen Takashi act like this a few times, but he's never asked someone out before. But normally Takashi means everything he says when he's like this." Hunny replied softly. "He just knows better than to say it out loud when he isn't tired." I didn't respond. I was so confused, and that's saying something. Takashi had always confused me, but this was ridiculous. I couldn't tell if this was just something to get me to open up, or was he being sincere?

"Well, what do you think I should do Hunny?" I finally say, defeated. I suppose if I were to ask anyone for advice, it should be the one Takashi is closest to. Hunny pressed his finger against his lips childishly as he thought about how to respond. To be honest, I was dreading his reply. And when it finally came I was expecting it.

"I say give it a chance. Takashi must feel something for you, he does spend time with you, and he mentions you from time to time. That's farther than I've ever heard him talk about someone." He replied with a cheery grin. "Will you give him a chance Mariah?"

My throat had become dry, so I could only manage a slight nod. The idea of dating again made my stomach churn. I'd only ever been on one date before, when I was 13. To say the least it didn't end well for him. The poor sap still hadn't gotten over me yet. I didn't really want that to happen to Takashi. When it came to me and dating, well we weren't exactly good friends. I watched Hunny skip away, leaving me once more alone in the auditorium.

"You're a fool Mariah," I mutter to myself as I stand slowly. My voice echoes in my ears as I do a quick triple turn, only to end back on my ass. Maybe Takashi was right. I needed to stop being stressed. Unfortunately for him, he made that ten times harder for me.

The next morning, Takashi looks to be his old somber self again, he still has the bags under his eyes, but I think he got at least some rest last night. "Takashi." I begin slowly as I come up to his side. He glances down at me curiously, his eyes brightening ever so slightly. I smile uneasily in return. "I wanted to apologize for yesterday."

"What do you mean?" He asked slowly. The look on my face must relay my shock because Takashi quickly explains. "To be honest, I don't remember much of yesterday. I must have been pretty tired, if you could tell me what happened, I could forgive you." He laughed heartily, which didn't help my churning stomach.

"Y-you mean you don't remember what happened?" I asked curiously. Takashi shook his head, from the look on his face; I could tell he was pretty confused too. "Oh well, in that case, it wasn't really important." I muttered. Takashi's eyes fell, the color in them becoming dull and emotionless once more. It made my heart sink to the pit of my stomach and shrivel. Was I really that cruel? I turned away from him hesitantly and took a step, but stopped midstride.

I had no idea what overtook me in that moment, but what happened next, I swear I had no control over. "Takashi?" I spun back to look at the tall dark haired boy. He hummed in response, his charcoal eyes dancing with a soft flame of life. "Let's go on a date together."

Takashi's eyes brightened when I gasped and clasped a hand over my mouth. He gave me a small smile and nodded. "I'd like to go on a date with you Mariah." The breath hitched in my chest and I felt yet another blush overtake me. It shouldn't have surprised, he did after all ask me out only yesterday. But for some reason, seeing his real smile, the smile I knew at least, made my heart jump. I couldn't really be falling for the boy who didn't have a dance? Could I?

"W-well that's good then I suppose." I mumbled as I took a step away from him as I massaged the back of my neck. "I-I guess we should be getting to class then huh?" Takashi smiled amusedly and followed closely as we walked to class. I don't think I would have ever admitted it out loud, but I think apart of my brain had shrieked in delight when he said yes. Yes, that would never be admitted out loud.


	8. The Same

**A lot of stuff happens in this chapter, but I decided that considering I haven't really disclosed much about Mariah , that this would be the chapter that I share some lovely information about this lovely stubborn, graceless, young woman. There's also some fluff, because I like fluff :) Enjoy guys**

* * *

Chapter 8

I frowned at my reflection in the mirror. Was I really attempting to make a good impression on Takashi? He should know by now I don't dress up, and I don't like flashy things. The fact that he's insisting we go on a formal date is pushing it already. "Are you actually wearing a dress?" I glanced over my shoulder and cast Logan, the elder of my three younger brothers's, a halfhearted glare. "What it was just a question, no need to get angry." He stuck out his tongue teasingly and continued down the hall to his room. I turned back to the mirror and groaned, ripping the dress over my head.

I turned back to my closet and pulled out a pair of my torn jeans and one of my few nice shirts, this one was brown and pink floral and threw those on instead. I glanced over my shoulder at the mirror and shrugged. I suppose that was the best I would be getting tonight. The doorbell rang below and my heart jumped into my throat. Was it too late to fake sick?

"Mari, some boy is here to see you." James, the youngest, called from the bottom of the stairs. Too late now. I grabbed my bag and hurried down the stairs. Takashi stood in the doorway listening curiously as James and Ian told him some ridiculous story. He seemed to be interested enough, and the thought made me smile. This must be how he is with Hunny. "You're really tall like Mari; I want to be that tall one day!" James exclaimed excitedly. I ruffled his hair as I passed him and Takashi chuckled.

"Now James, Ian, behave tonight. Logan is in charge while Dad and Michelle are at the performance tonight, got it?" I explained slowly to the two boys. Ian groaned and James nodded quickly, his eyes still glued on Takashi. "Good enough, I'll see you guys when I get home." I shut the door tightly behind me and glanced up anxiously to meet Takashi's eyes.

"Three brothers?" he questioned. I nodded and followed him down the street. "I only have one brother. But it must be nice to have a big family."

"Well, I agree, I like big families, but sometimes they can be a pain, and sometimes I wish I only had one. What's his name?" I replied with a shrug.

"Who's?"

"Your brother's name?"

"His name's Satoshi, he's younger than me, so I guess you can say we're the same in that sense." Takashi replied. We continued in silence as we made our way towards the restaurant in town. Takashi had offered to get a car to take us, but I had refused. I prefer walking. It's more peaceful. "Does your father have a show tonight?"

"Yes, it's their first week on Broadway with this new show and my dad always stays the first few weeks at the performances to make sure everything goes well." I explained slowly. I could tell where he was trying to lead me. I knew the question he was going to ask next, so I simply made it easier. "Michelle is my step-mother." I replied shortly.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Takashi replied. I stopped the confusion blatant on my face as I turned to look at him. "Was it divorce? Or—"

"My birth mother and my father were never married." I returned briskly. "So it's nothing like that." Takashi was silent, so I decided to continue. This is after all something I had decided to tell him the last time we were alone. "My mother's name is Eliza Hans."

"You mean the actress on Broadway?" Takashi questioned curiously. I nodded in response and kicked a chunk of dirty snow from the path. I really never told anyone about this story. It explained my personality that's for sure, my reluctance to perform, to date, to have any real contact with performers really.

"My dad fell for her when he was choreographing one of the shows she was lead in. He was 21, she was 19 and the result was me. My mother," The word escaped my mouth like acid. "Well she was too big of a star to have to worry about a child, so she dumped me on my dad's doorstep and disappeared from our life. I hear about her occasionally in newspapers, sometimes I'm even 'lucky' enough to attend a show of hers. But I don't think she'd ever recognize me if I were to approach her. My brother's are Michelle and my father's children, so their really only half brothers." I glanced up at Takashi curiously, but his face was void of all emotion. That wasn't a big surprise there. "I haven't been to keen on performers since. And now I spend every waking moment with them in 'Les Belles Filles'. The others don't know Eliza's my mother, and if they did, God I'd never get a wake of peace again."

My story now finished, Takashi turned to look at me sadly. I glanced up at him anxiously, waiting for some sort of criticism, saying I take everything too seriously, that I'm too tense, whatever it may be, I'm ready to brace it. But what comes out of his mouth is not what I expect. "Let's go get some coffee instead."

"Wait, we aren't going to the restaurant?" I ask, though on the inside I'm breathing a sigh of relief. He shook his head and grabbed my hand softly. The heat rises in my face, but I don't make an effort to pull away from him. He smiles coyly and takes me the opposite direction we were initially heading.

"I don't think that's really our style. Coffee seems more befitting, don't you think?" he responds. The grip on my hand tightens as we settle into an easy stroll toward the same café we've been going to since the very first time I got him to talk. It seemed pretty natural, holding his hand, but even so, I knew it came with a price. I still couldn't understand why he hadn't said anything when I told him why I didn't perform. He had been pestering me about after all. I almost asked him when he beat me to it.

"My mother left our family too." I froze in the midstride. "She cheated on my father with another man and deserted our family when I was seven, my brother was three. It would have disgraced the family, had my father not told everyone that she died. All my friends believe my mother passed away years ago, the only one who knows the truth is Mitskuni and now you."

"Y-you'd tell me something like that?" I uttered in disbelief.

"Well you told me about your past, I thought I'd share something significant about mine," He responded coolly, his grip around my hand softening. "It seemed fair." 'Fair', the word made me laugh bitterly. Neither of our stories seemed very 'fair' as far as I was concerned. Mother's who were less than faithful, being abandoned. None of that seemed 'fair'. "I'm just glad you were the one I chose to share it with."

"It doesn't seem like something you should be glad about." I muttered. "It seems sad, having to fake the death of your own mother because she was unfaithful." Takashi smiled at me over his shoulder, even in the dim light I could tell his eyes were sparkling.

"I don't see it that way. Yes, it would have been nice to have had my mother stay, but then my parent's relationship would have been rocky and I would have been a completely different person. I probably wouldn't have joined the Host Club." He began to explain. "I probably would have never met you." He added with a coy smile.

"Well I'm sure you would have lived a perfectly content life had you not met me." I replied quickly as I slipped my hand out of his. Takashi smirked, but didn't give up as easily as I thought he would.

"Content probably." He replied bluntly. I scoffed into my scarf. "But granted I would be a different person had I not met you. But now that I have—"

"Enough, there's the café, we should probably get out of the cold." I cut in hurriedly. I wrap my hand around his, hoping desperately it would be enough to get him to keep quiet. I should really know better by now. I should have known the minute I told him he should start having conversations with me. Takashi, the man of few words, actually had over a lifetime's words to share with me.

The air is warm in the café and I breathe a sigh of relief. The jacket I had borrowed from Kenzie (who was the closest to my size aside from Kimberly) was not winter functional. I love the atmosphere of cafés, they're always peaceful and I never feel out of place. Takashi squeezes my hand tightly and leads me to the counter. "I'll pay." He states as he places his money on the counter. "One chai tea and a pumpkin latte." I internally groan. I had forgotten what going on a date was like. Guy holds open the door, girl gushes, guy offers to pay, girl banters and claims he doesn't have to, but lets him anyway. All we needed was a bouquet of flowers and then I'd die of the cliché.

"I'd never buy you flowers Mariah." Takashi states with a smirk. Damn his mind reading abilities. "I can guess that much about you, you're not the type of girl who likes a flashy show. Which is kind of part of the reason I don't mind spending time with you." He continues thoughtfully. "You're very traditional, even though your background straddles the line between glamorous and simple."

"You don't have a dance." I don't know how those words escaped but they had, and the reality of those words came crashing down on both of us. I glanced frantically up at Takashi, but for once he wouldn't meet my eye. It took me a moment to realize what my words truly meant, or at least according to Takashi. It meant I didn't know him at all, or that I refused to know anything about him well enough to figure out a stupid routine for him—had I just said stupid?

Routines were how I lived my life, but now, I didn't see any sense in having them. Takashi proved that to me. It's not that I couldn't find a dance for him. It's just in the last few weeks; I had found too many dances that could fit different parts of him. He wasn't one dance; he was hundreds of different dances. He was different dances that normally wouldn't mesh in real life. And yet, these dances created a harmonic human being.

I think this was the realization that hit me the most. Takashi had been right all along. I didn't know if I really understood that I was actually wrong about something I knew so well. Takashi seemed to sense my distraught and placed a finger under my chin. I met his eyes anxiously, but unlike a moment ago, they were now twinkling. "I meant that you weren't just one dance, you are so—"

"I don't care Mariah. I'm not curious anymore about who I am. I want to know who you are." He cut in briskly. "What dance are you?" I froze. No one had ever asked me that before, well more like no one had ever asked who I thought I was before. Then again that's not something you bring up in normal conversation.

"I-I don't know." I admitted slowly. I fell onto one of the plush leather couches, Takashi following shortly behind. He entwined his fingers with mine and pulled me into the crook of his arm. Normally I would freeze at such a close proximity, but for some reason I just stare ahead blankly. I don't even register his touch. I'm still appalled with myself. After all these years, I couldn't even know myself well enough to give myself a routine?

"Did you ever think it's because you don't need a routine?" Takashi finally asked. This shakes me from my daze and I blink up at him. "I think you have the potential of every dance too Mariah."

"It's not possible." I muttered stubbornly. "Harmony only works if they're designed as such." Takashi laughed under his breath and pulls my closer. He's was getting more bold. "And besides—" I didn't even realize, Takashi's lips were pressed against mine until they were gone.

"Sometimes you talk too much, and it's normally about negative things. Try being positive." Takashi states with a wry smile as he sips his chai tea triumphantly. The color rises in my face as I smack him square in the chest. He coughs, but that doesn't seem to damper his good mood. "Well if all I get is a swat on the nose for a kiss, I'll try that more often."

"Are you tired?"

"No, I just realized I had to be blunt if I wanted to get anything through your dense skull," Takashi replied with a smile. "Let me know when you get the message." It took all I could not to smack him again, or kiss him. I still couldn't decide which. And that fact alone was what scared me.


	9. Relax

**I'm sorry, This one's kind of short in comparison to the last one, but here you all are. Only a few chapeters left Enjoy R&R**

Chapter 9

The end is nearing. Wow that really sounds grim doesn't it. What I really meant was, the end of the year is approaching, and everyone is well aware when that happens, the Host Club will be gone. Most likely for good. This realization is taking a heavier toll on me than I thought it would. At first, I thought I'd suffer through the six months and then have my own personal party when the boy's were shipped back to Japan. Well, that's not the case anymore. I think I'm almost dreading when they leave. Strange.

I stretched my arms over my head, slowly reaching for the tip of my toes. Normally on opening night I wouldn't be bothering to stretch. I was only an audience member by that point. "Well Mariah, are you ready for your first performance?" Kenzie asked cheekily as she bent over the railing that led out of our dressing rooms. She smiled widely at me, her warm brown curls bouncing around her face. Unlike me, she wasn't donned in a costume, just a microphone. My "voice".

"No." I grumbled as I stood up and smoothed the creases out of my flapper dress. Kenzie smirked, a small hum escaping her.

"Well, I suppose you wouldn't be. Though, I did come here with a purpose." She stuck out her tongue at me teasingly. "Someone is here to see you before the show begins. Kimberly says you have 10 minutes before curtain call, make it last." And with that, Kenzie was gone, Takashi replacing her.

"Hey." He replied hesitantly. The air around us was a little tense. I could imagine why, our date hadn't exactly ended on the best note.

_Takashi led me up the street to my house, his hand clasped tightly around mine. I had been relatively quiet since we left the coffee shop. I didn't know what to say. He had kissed me, he had held my hand, and he liked me. What was wrong with him? Takashi glanced down at me and smiled meekly. I'm sure he was reading my mind right about now. "Was tonight alright?" He asked slowly._

_"Yeah, it was alright." I replied hoarsely. Takashi stared awkwardly ahead, I opted for staring at the ground, watching my feet as they made prints in the slush. Spring was on its way._

_"Was the kiss to much?" Takashi asked bluntly. I stopped midstride. How I hated him sometimes. "Should I have waited for a different time?"_

_"Are you implying you plan on kissing me in the future?" I asked hesitantly. "That's a little blunt."_

_"Well, I do like you Mariah. But I can only like you so much, you have to meet me half way." Takashi explained shamelessly. "Do you like me too?" I could see a bit of hope coloring his onyx eyes. I was getting better at reading his expressions._

_"I-I—" I was at a complete loss of words. Someone had never admitted they liked me so openly before. Only once, and like I said that didn't end up going so well. I still felt guilty about it. I had completely shut him out when he admitted how much he liked me. The fear that had coiled up inside of me that time was unbearable. The remnants of that feeling were beginning to resurface as I looked up into Takashi's eyes. "I'm not sure." That was the best I could come up with, but sadly enough it was honest. I think I liked him, but the thought made me want to vomit._

_But what hurt the most, was seeing the hurt in his eyes as he stared down at me. "I-I'm sorry Takashi, this was a bad idea." I choked as I pushed past him, unlacing my fingers from his. Then I ran, and I didn't stop until I was house, up the stairs and kneeling on the bathroom floor. I leaned my head over the toilet and gagged, trying to force the latte back down my throat, but that only made me gag more. I ended up spending the night shaking on the bathroom floor, only sitting up occasionally to retch in the toilet. Like I said, it hadn't ended on the best note._

"H-hey," I replied shakily as I fumbled with the tassels on my flapper dress. Takashi rubbed the back of his neck and made his way down the stairs. There was hollowness in the air, but I tried to ignore it, like I was trying to ignore the new churning that had started in my stomach.

"I just wanted to wish you luck, break a leg, Mariah. You'll do great." He replied hoarsely. He looked well composed, in a crisp dress shirt, and pressed slacks, but I could tell this was just a stiff front. Like me, I'm sure he was wracking inside.

"Thank you Takashi," I said quietly, the last word coming out more of a squeak then an actual squeak. Takashi smiled weakly and gave a slow shrug. "What?"

"You can't be tense before you go onstage, so I guess I should probably go." Takashi replied with a little more confidence in his smile. "Nail that triple spin, just remember to relax." I watched him leave, my stomach giving one last heavy churn as he shut the door behind him. A nervous laugh escaped me, more of a sickening cackle than anything. It was perfect for Velma Kelly, who just murdered her husband.

I stood before the crowd, a large crowd; the lights were dim as the last chords of the introduction faded into the beginning of my song. The lights came up and my heart jumped in my throat. What was I doing? I couldn't perform. My muscles tensed, but my body began to move, completely unaware of the panic that was blurring my mind. My mouth moved to the words I had memorized by heart, Kenzie was doing a great job, as she always did when it came to singing. It was only me who was freaking out.

My legs felt like jelly, but some how they still kept me up. I wobbled as I began my dance scenes with some of the men in the chorus. I could hear the murmurs of question coursing through the audience, they most likely commenting how horrible I was.

My eyes searched the crowd desperately; I can't believe I was looking for him. Takashi was watching me carefully from the left side of the audience; his hands were clasped tightly under his chin. When his eyes locked with mine, I felt my muscles loosen, and my legs solidified as I began my solo piece. The one with the triple spin. My eyes caught Takashi's and I smirked as I brought arms in front of me and pulled myself into the spin. I whipped my head around three times, and for the first time, I didn't feel my ass making contact with the ground. A cheer went through the audience as I fell into the splits, ending the song.

That's how the show went. Every time I freaked out, I looked at Takashi and for some reason that gave me the confidence to keep going. I hated performing, but I liked seeing that smile on Takashi's face. I think that was the first time I admitted that I liked his smile.

"Mariah, get out there, it's the bows." Kenzie hissed as she nudged me onto stage. I hurried on and stood center stage with Roxie, Hannah. I grasped her hand and she squeezed it excitedly as we took a bow together. The crowd screamed loudly in response and we both smiled. I caught Takashi's eyes, and the wide smile that had spread over his face. My heart skipped a beat. The churning in my stomach was gone, instead I only felt pride.

"You did it Mariah!" Hannah whispered happily into my ear as she took another bow. I followed suit. No, I didn't do it, not alone. That's when the realization hit me. I really did like Takashi. I didn't want him to leave for Japan next month. So cliché, but all the same, my smile fell slightly, but I quickly forced another one on my face. "Mariah, you okay?"

"Fine, just fine." I choked as I waved to the crowd, the smile still pressed tightly on my face. Was I fine? Or had I gone insane? Sometimes I couldn't tell anymore. But one thing was clear; I was dangerously close to falling for Takashi. Would that be such a bad thing? I shook my head, pulling myself back into the present, the house lights had risen and people were filing out of the audience. Takashi was making his way to the stage, still smiling. I couldn't help but smile too. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing.


	10. The End

**Wow it's been awhile since I've posted hasn't it? Well, here's what you all have been waiting for, the final chapter in this story. If you guys are interested I would be willing to write another story in this universe using two different characters, but I would want your input as to which characters you would like to hear the stories of. Comment to let me know :) Stay classy **

"Hannah, I don't know what I should do." I admitted as I took a seat beside the giddy blonde in the audience after the final show. The auditorium had emptied by this point, we were the only ones left. Hannah glanced up and met my eyes curiously.

"Are you talking about Mori? I thought you guys were-"

"I don't even know what we are anymore. That's why I'm so confused Hannah. They leave in a-" I didn't even want to think about it. In a week, the boys would be gone. It was a strange thought, but it kept creeping into the back of mind. "Hannah, what do I do?" Hannah knit her eyebrows together. She must have been really thinking because I had never seen so much concentration on her face.

"Have you ever thought to tell Mori how you really feel?" I furrowed my brow at her. Was she crazy? I couldn't just walk up to Mori and say 'hey I like you so you shouldn't go back to Japan. Is that cool?'. No. I couldn't do that. "I mean, he did tell you he liked you?"

"Yes, but I can't ask him to stay here just because I have a little crush. It's not right." I replied as I stood up again. "I think I need to go for a walk. I need to think things through." With that, I left Hannah alone in theatre.

The air was warm, hinting at summer. The thought made my stomach churn. Everything would be changing soon. I was graduating this year. I would no longer be attending LeFleur Academy. Instead, I would be attending Boston University to pursue a career in dance. Mori would be gone. "Stop it Mariah. Stop thinking about him." I growled to myself. Mori was all I thought about now. I was starting to lose sleep over him. Why was he different than any other guy I had met, why was he different than that guy I turned down when I was 13? Why?

I continued to walk aimlessly. I didn't know how far I'd walked or where I was going. I hadn't looked up since leaving the theatre. My eyes stayed plastered to my feet. The feet that got me into this mess in the first place. Why did I HAVE to figure out his dance. Why did I HAVE to get closer to him. "Why did I have to fall in love with him?" I muttered helplessly. I looked up for the first time and what I saw stopped me cold. The café. That damn coffee shop where everything happened between us. I glared down at my feet. Why had they brought me here?

Defeated, I pushed open the door and made my way in. The aroma made my heart ache. Why did he have to ruin this place for me too. "Mariah?" I glanced up, completely dumbfounded as Mori approached. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same question? I thought you went back to the hotel with the other boys?" I sputtered. He smiled nimbly and shrugged.

"I always come here when I need to think now. Your American habit seemed to have rubbed off on me," he stated teasingly. "But why are you here? Shouldn't you be celebrating with the girls?" I shook my head as I looked into his eyes. Just looking at him made my heart wrench. God damn it. "Mariah?"

"I can't get you outta my head." I slapped a hand over my mouth as soon as the words left it. Had I really just said that aloud? Mori's eyes softened as his smile spread across his face. I could feel the heat rising in my face as I took a step towards the door. Instinct told me to run, but my feet didn't listen. "I mean-"

"I can't get you outta my head either Mariah." Mori admitted. My eyes widened. Was this really happening. "Actually I wanted to talk to you about that. You know we're supposed to leave in a week and-"

"Don't remind me about-"

"Please let me finish, we leave in a week, but I'm not going with them." My heart stopped in my chest. Was he being serious?

"But your family, and the other boys? Why would you be staying in America when your home is in Japan?" I exclaimed quickly. Mori smiled and took a step closer towards me.

"Because my home is where I leave my heart and I've left it with you Mariah. I've already set up a transfer to Boston University in the Criminal Justice department. I heard that's where you're going, am I wrong?" he continued. "I don't want to leave you now that we've only just begun Mariah. I want to see where this journey takes me, but only if you're willing to meet me halfway." His eyes met mine, and they didn't let me look away. I wanted to smile, or cry, or laugh, or do a morbid combination of all three, but instead I only nodded, and nodded, and nodded. For once, I was at a loss of words.

Mori smiled and placed a hand on my cheek. Gently, he guided my lips to his and we stayed there. I don't know how long we stayed like that, but it didn't matter. I still didn't know his routine, and I still didn't know mine, but whatever they were. They worked together, in complete and utter harmony.

**The End**


	11. Author's note

Hi there everyone,

In case you all didn't see my note on the top of the last chapter of Everyone has a Routine, I am considering writing another story in this universe, only illustrating another character's story. Right now I am leaning toward Kenzie and Hazel and their time with the twins, but I am looking to my audience to see which story you would really like to see me write. Please comment to let me know which story you would like to hear and I will work on it.

Thanks guys :)

Gabs


End file.
